Control as an Organizational Process

The research reported is an attempt to discover to what extent the theory of self-regulating systems applies to human organizations in general and to one industrial plant in particular. Feedbacks of information on performance and objectives were found to have much influence on two types of executive decision processes: programming of routine work and innovation in the organization of executive functions. The control pattern included multiple, decentralized control loops. This combination worked adequately in an area—safety—where the results of decisions could not be forecasted with any accuracy.